Saliva Testing & Management
You go to your doctor for a blood test, why not go to your dentist for a saliva test?
Dr Victoria Sampson, one of the cofounders of The Health Society, was shortlisted as one of the most promising young scientists in Europe for the Forbes 30 under 30 in Science and Healthcare due to her novel approach in Dentistry using salivary diagnostics. She is the first dentist to have ever shortlisted for the Forbes 30 under 30 and has partnered with NASA, SAGE and WHO on making salivary diagnostics more accesible. She believes that just as you go to the doctors for a blood test, why not go to the dentist for a saliva test?
Saliva can tell you lots about not only your oral health but also your general health. Through your saliva, we can check your:
- Collagen breakdown levels
- Whether you have good or bad bacteria in your mouth
- How acidic your saliva is
- How much inflammation you have
Victoria is on the scientific advisory board of some of the leading microbiome and salivary diagnostics companies and has been heavily involved in making these tests commercially viable. She has also ran multiple research trials on salivary diagnostics in dentistry and is known to be one of the leading figureheads in the world for this.
The Health Society is the first and only oral diagnostic centre in the world.
Oral Microbiome Testing
Our mouth houses the second largest and most diverse ecosystem of bacteria in the body (oral microbiome). There are 700 different species of bacteria in the mouth; some good, some bad and some ugly. Through oral microbiome testing we can measure what bacteria you have present in your mouth. This allows proper diagnosis of disease and also allows us to create a personalised treatment plan based on your microbiome profile. This plan may include specific mouthwashes, toothpastes, foods, and supplements aimed at steering your microbiome back to harmony. We are the first and only practice in the country to provide this personalised preventative treatment, as Dr Victoria is the scientific advisor of one of the largest micorbiome companies in Europe and has helped create this microbiome test.
Collagen Breakdown Testing
Unfortunately much dental disease is 'invisible' until it is too late. Traditionally, we only knew there was gum disease once destruction had occurred. That is why we are the first practice in the country to provide biomarker testing to look for signs of collagen breakdown (and therefore gum disease) before it is visible in the mouth. We test the saliva and the gums for a certain enzyme called aMMP8, which is the most stable biomarker for collagen breakdown in the mouth.
